Sociosexuality Research Articles

Sociosexuality in Brazil: Validation of the SOI-R and its correlates with personality, self-perceived mate value, and ideal partner preferences

Sociosexuality describes the willingness to engage in sexual activities outside of committed relationships. Across two studies, we tested the factorial structure and reliability of the Revised Sociosexual Orientation Inventory (SOI-R) in Brazil. Study 1 explored the factor structure of the instrument within a sample of 178 individuals from the general population, supporting the proposed three-factorial structure of the SOI-R and showing good internal consistencies. Study 2 corroborated the three-factorial structure through a confirmatory factor analysis (ML) within a sample of 225 undergraduate students. Correlations between the SOI-R and other psychological variables (e.g. dark triad, mate value) replicated and extended previous studies from other countries. For example, among men, psychopathy and Machiavellianism correlated with the behavioural component of the SOI-R. Multi-group CFA indicated that the SOI-R is mainly invariant across gender. Thus, overall, our results demonstrate that the SOI-R is psychometrically suitable to evaluate sociosexuality in Brazil. The current studies show that the SOI-R is also reliable and valid in a non-Western country, providing further support for its theoretically driven three-factor structure across human cultures.

Indywidualne różnice w socjoseksualności: dowody na trafność konwergencyjną i dyskryminacyjną

Individual differences in willingness to engage in uncommitted sexual relations were investigated in 6 studies. In Study I, a 5-item Sociosexual Orientation Inventory (SOl) was developed. Studies 2, 3, and 4 provided convergent validity evidence for the SOI, revealing that persons who have an unrestricted sociosexual orientation tend to (a) engage in sex at an earlier point in their relationships, (b) engage in sex with more than 1 partner at a time, and (c) be involved in relationships characterized by less investment, commitment, love, and dependency. Study 5 provided discriminant validity for the SOI, revealing that it does not covary appreciably with a good marker of sex drive. Study 6 demonstrated that the SOI correlates negligibly with measures of sexual satisfaction, anxiety, and guilt. The possible stability of, origins of, and motivational bases underlying individual differences in sociosexuality are discussed.

Motivations for Extradyadic Infidelity Revisited

Relationship infidelities are motivated by many distinct factors, with previous research indicating motivations of dissatisfaction, neglect, anger, and sexual desire (Barta & Kiene, 2005). We expand on this by demonstrating additional, empirically distinct motivations for infidelity. Using an Internet-based questionnaire, participants (N = 495), most of whom were young adults, self-reported their infidelities. In addition to evidence for previously studied motivations, our data demonstrate additional factors, including lack of love (“I had ‘fallen out of love with’ my primary partner”), low commitment (“I was not very committed to my primary partner”), esteem (“I wanted to enhance my popularity”), gaining sexual variety (“I wanted a greater variety of sexual partners”), and situational factors (“I was drunk and not thinking clearly”). Our results also show personality correlates with infidelity motivations. Consistent with predictions, attachment insecurity was associated with motivations of anger, lack of love, neglect, low commitment, and esteem, while unrestricted sociosexual orientation was associated with sexual variety. Implicit beliefs (e.g., growth, destiny, romanticism) were differentially associated with sexual desire, low commitment, lack of love, and neglect. These findings highlight multifaceted motivations underlying infidelity, moving beyond relationship deficit models of infidelity, with implications for research and psychotherapy involving people’s romantic and sexual relationships.

Reproductive interests and dimensions of political ideology

Abstract Issues that relate to sex and reproduction are among the most hotly debated topics in modern politics, and a number of recent studies have sought to identify the relationship between sexual views and political ideology. In general, studies report that liberals have more permissive sexual views. Combining insights from political science about the dimensionality of political ideology with insights from evolutionary psychology about individual differences in sexual strategies, I argue and demonstrates that the association between permissive sexual views and liberalism masks a more complex set of associations. Individuals with an unrestricted sociosexual orientation are indeed more liberal on issues about authorities (as measured by Right‐Wing Authoritarianism) but are, at the same time, more conservative when it comes to views about dominance and hierarchies (as measured by Social Dominance Orientation). These findings enlighten recent debates about the nature of self‐interest in the formation of political views.

Evidence that makeup is a false signal of sociosexuality

While the positive effect of makeup on attractiveness is well established, there has been less exploration into other possible functions of makeup use. Here we investigated whether one function of makeup is to signal sociosexuality. Using a large, well-controlled set of photographs, we found that faces with makeup were perceived to have more unrestricted sociosexuality than the same faces without makeup. Similarly, women wearing more makeup were perceived to have more unrestricted sociosexuality. The target women who were photographed also completed questionnaires about their makeup habits and the Sociosexual Orientation Inventory. Targets' self-reported sociosexuality was not associated with their makeup habits, with observer ratings of the amount of makeup they wore, or with observer ratings of their sociosexuality when attractiveness was controlled. Thus our study shows that people use makeup as a cue for perceiving sociosexuality but that it is an invalid cue.

The Primal Scene Phenomenon: Witnessing Parental Sexual Activity and Sociosexual Orientation

Sigmund Freud coined the term urszene—or “primal scene”—to describe the experience of children witnessing their parents engaging in sexual activity. We examined the historical context in which the primal scene emerged, considered contemporary views of the primal scene, and conducted two empirical studies (N = 961, 1390) to investigate Freud’s proposition that children who witness the primal scene would later be prone to “attacks of falling physically in love,” which we operationalized as sociosexual orientation. In both studies, individuals who witnessed the primal scene as children had a more unrestricted sociosexual orientation than those who did not. Additionally, men had a more unrestricted sociosexual orientation than women. Altogether, these results suggest a possible link between primal scene exposure and sociosexual orientation. In contrast to psychoanalytic theories, we offer psychodynamic and normative social explanations of the primal scene phenomenon.

Dispositional Characteristics of Individuals Involved in Back Burner Relationships

To determine whether certain characteristics are shared by young adults who choose to communicatively maintain back burner relationships, this study investigated the associations between dispositional characteristics (i.e., sociosexual orientation, sensation seeking, narcissism, Machiavellianism, and the Big Five personality traits) and the number of back burners maintained by single and romantically involved individuals. Findings revealed that all dimensions of unrestricted sociosexual orientation and high sensation seeking were positively associated with number of back burners when predictors were considered independently. When the relative contribution of predictors was examined, only unrestricted sociosexual behavior significantly predicted the number of back burners. Implications for developing a profile of those who communicate to initiate and sustain back burner relationships are discussed.

The Tridimensional Structure of Sociosexuality: Spanish Validation of the Revised Sociosexual Orientation Inventory

ABSTRACTCasual sex has become a common experience for many university students. Therefore, it is necessary to have instruments and studies that analyze youth's orientation toward sociosexuality. The SOI-R assesses sociosexual behavior, attitudes toward sociosexuality, and the desire for relationships without commitment with just nine items. The goal of this study was to validate the Spanish version of the SOI-R, to improve the scale, and to contribute evidence of the utility of the Sociosexual Desire subscale. Participants were 839 heterosexual university students of both sexes, aged between 18 and 26, who completed a battery of online questionnaires. The internal structure of the SOI-R revealed the three proposed theoretical dimensions, with medium to low relationships between factors. The instrument has measurement invariance with regards to sex and age. The Spanish version of the SOI-R had adequate levels of reliability. The modification of the first item of the scale is suggested, as well as the relevance of assessing sociosexual desire as an independent construct. The relation between sociosexuality and other sociodemographic and psychosocial variables was also analyzed. The discussion highlights the need for research to determine youth's sociosexual orientation and patterns of casual sex.

Love Styles in the Context of Life History Theory

Abstract The evolutionary function of love is to create a strong bond between the partners with reproduction in view. In order to achieve this goal, humans use various sexual/reproductive strategies, which have evolved due to specific reproductive benefits. The use of particular strategies depends on many factors but one of the most important is early childhood experiences, on which life history theory (LHT) focuses. John Lee (1973) identified 6 basic love styles: eros, ludus, storge, pragma, agape, and mania. Our goal was to check whether love styles may be treated as sexual/reproductive strategies in the context of LHT - slow or fast strategy. In our study (N = 177) we found that people who prefer the slow reproductive strategy are inclined to show passionate, pragmatic and friendly love, and those who prefer the fast strategy, treated love as a game. A low level of environmental stress in childhood results in preferring eros, storge and agape love styles, belonging to the slow strategy, and a high one results in preferring ludus, which belongs to the fast strategy. People representing eros, storge or pragma styles have restricted sociosexual orientation so they prefer long-term relationships, whereas those with the ludus style are people with unrestricted orientation, preferring short-term relationships. Besides, storge, agape and pragma seem to determine preferring qualities connected with parental effort in one’s partner, mania - with mating effort, and eros - with both kinds of effort. No correlation was found between the love style and the number of children.

Sexual Dysfunctions in Patients Referred to Sleep Disorders Center

Links between sleep, endocrine system and sexual functions have a reciprocal relationship, however, are still not fully understood. This study was designed to assess sexual dysfunctions in patients suffering from hypersomnia or insomnia symptoms. Population sample: 49 patients; 13 females and 36 males (mean age 30.6± 7.5) Among them (n=20) insomnia patients (n=20) and hypersomnia patients (n=29) have been investigated. The patients underwent clinical evaluation of sleep disorder and filled in demographic and sexual history questionnaire, Arizona Sexual Experience Scale (ASEX), International Index of Erectile Function Questionnaire or Female Sexual Function Index, Sociosexual Orientation Inventory, Mell-Krat scale and SF-36 quality of life questionnaire. They also rated the impact of sleep disorder on their sexual functioning on 10 points Likert-type scale. Blood samples were collected to assess endocrine markers of sexual functions. Among insomnia patients 9 (18%) patients revealed severe and one moderate impairment of sexual functioning. Among patients with hypersomnia, there were respectively three and two patients. Additionally among nine patients with narcolepsy who suffered also from cataplectic attacks one subject reported severe and two moderate negative impacts of cataplexy on sexual functioning. Based on clinical scales (e.g. ASEX ) the proportion of patients with clinically relevant desire disorders ranged 5 patients (10.2%) and sexual arousal disorder ranged 3 patients (6 %). There were no significant differences between people suffering from insomnia and patients suffering from the symptoms of hypersomnia.

A missense polymorphism in the putative pheromone receptor gene VN1R1 is associated with sociosexual behavior

Pheromones regulate social and reproductive behavior in most mammalian species. These effects are mediated by the vomeronasal and main olfactory systems. Effects of putative pheromones on human neuroendocrine activity, brain activity and attractiveness ratings suggest that humans may communicate via similar chemosignaling. Here we studied two samples of younger and older individuals, respectively, with respect to one nonsynonymous polymorphism in the gene encoding the human vomeronasal type-1 receptor 1, VN1R1, and one nonsynonymous polymorphism in the gene encoding the olfactory receptor OR7D4. Participants in both samples had self-reported their sociosexual behavior using the sociosexual orientation inventory, including questions regarding lifetime number of one-night stands, number of partners last year and expected number of partners the coming 5 years. In women, there was a significant association between the VN1R1 polymorphism and sociosexual behavior in both samples, driven specifically by the question regarding one-night stands. Our results support the hypothesis that human social interaction is modulated by communication via chemosignaling.

Satisfaction guaranteed? How individual, partner, and relationship factors impact sexual satisfaction within partnerships.

Within committed relationships, a wide range of factors may challenge or facilitate sexual satisfaction. The aim of this study was to clarify which individual, partner-, and partnership-related aspects of a sexual relationship are crucial for the prediction of sexual satisfaction. The study included data of a representative sample of 964 couples from the general population. The actor-partner interdependence model was used to estimate actor and partner effects. Overall, predictors explained 57% of outcome variance. Actor effects were found for sexual function, sexual distress, frequency of sexual activity, desire discrepancy, sexual initiative, sexual communication, sociosexual orientation, masturbation, and life satisfaction. Gender-specific partner effects were found for sexual function and sexual distress. Neither age, nor relationship duration were significant predictors. To deepen our understanding of sexual satisfaction, it is necessary to take quantitative and qualitative aspects of sexual relationships into account and to consider actor-, partner-, and relationship-related predictors.

Does Sociosexuality Affect Use and Desirability of Different Types of Opening Lines Among Young Japanese?

The present study examined the relations between sociosexuality and the desirability and the use of innocuous, direct, and cute-flippant opening lines. A total of 216 women rated the desirability of each type of opening line and answered the revised Sociosexual Orientation Inventory (SOI-R). A total of 198 men reported the use of types of opening lines and answered the SOI-R. The desirability of cute-flippant lines, which were the least preferred lines, was positively related to sociosexuality, while the use of cute lines was not associated with sociosexuality. In addition, the use of innocuous and direct lines was positively related to sociosexuality. It may be that unrestricted men use innocuous and direct lines as a strategy to start conversation before flirting.

Advances in the understanding of same-sex and opposite-sex sexual harassment

Abstract Sexual harassment has traditionally been studied as men's harassment of women. This has led to a lack of knowledge about same sex harassment, and women harassing peers. This has also downplayed the inherent sexual nature of sexual harassment acts. While keeping in mind that sexual harassment is undesirable and causes distress, one needs to consider that many acts that are perceived as unwanted may not primarily be motivated by a wish to derogate but rather by an interest in soliciting short-term sex. In the current study we examined both perpetrators as well as victims of harassment, and specified both sex of perpetrator and target (a total of eight sex constellations). We reproduced the previously found association between unrestricted sociosexuality and sexual harassment in a representative sample of 1326 high school students (57% women). In all regression models sociosexuality outcompeted traditional measures such as porn exposure, rape stereotypes and hostile sexism. Based on the original work we divided the harassment acts into two groups of tactics: sexual solicitation and competitor derogation. Men were particularly subject to derogatory tactics from other men, while women were particularly subject to solicitation from opposite sex peers. Sexual harassment may be understood better from a human sexual strategies perspective, including competitor derogation and mate solicitation. As such, sociosexual orientation predicts both same sex derogation and opposite sex solicitation. The current results highlight the importance of considering the sex of both perpetrator and target. This advanced understanding of the inherently sexual nature of sexual harassment needs to inform future prevention studies. Unrestricted sociosexuality predicts sexual harassment in all constellations better than traditional social science models.

Substance, History, and Politics.

The aim of this article is to examine the relations between two approaches to the measurement of life history (LH) strategies: A traditional approach, termed here the biodemographic approach, measures developmental characteristics like birthweight, gestation length, interbirth intervals, pubertal timing, and sexual debut, and a psychological approach measures a suite of cognitive and behavioral traits such as altruism, sociosexual orientation, personality, mutualism, familial relationships, and religiosity. The biodemographic approach also tends not to invoke latent variables, whereas the psychological approach typically relies heavily upon them. Although a large body of literature supports both approaches, they are largely separate. This review examines the history and relations between biodemographic and psychological measures of LH, which remain murky at best. In doing so, we consider basic questions about the nature of LH strategies: What constitutes LH strategy (or perhaps more importantly, what does not constitute LH strategy)? What is gained or lost by including psychological measures in LH research? Must these measures remain independent or should they be used in conjunction as complementary tools to test tenets of LH theory? Although definitive answers will linger, we hope to catalyze an explicit discussion among LH researchers and to provoke novel research avenues that combine the strengths each approach brings to this burgeoning field.

Unrestricted sociosexuality predicts preferences for extraverted male faces

Human facial structures communicate health, thus indicating one's suitability as a potential mating partner. However, facial structures also communicate information about one's personality, which allows for inferences about a target's behavioral intentions. A target's relative level of extraversion can be reliably inferred from facial structural features. Because past research has found an association between extraversion and greater interest in short-term mating, particularly for men, we hypothesized that women with an unrestricted sociosexual orientation, which is geared toward short-term mating, would demonstrate heightened preferences for extraverted faces, particularly male faces. Participants viewed face pairs of various individuals manipulated to be highly extraverted versus highly introverted while indicating their preferences among the pairs; participants also completed the Sociosexual Orientation Inventory-Revised. Independent of sociosexuality, participants preferred extraversion (relative to introversion) in female faces; conversely, participants demonstrated a stronger preference for introverted male faces. However, more sociosexually unrestricted women and men exhibited a greater preference for extraverted male faces. Whereas unrestricted women's preferences may be related to identifying mating opportunities, men's preferences for extraverted male faces may reflect an enhanced sensitivity to detecting same-sex individuals who would represent a heightened intrasexually competitive threat.

Sexual Regret.

The current study sought to answer three key questions about explaining the emotion of regret in the domain of casual sex: Are sex differences in sexual regret robust or attenuated in a highly egalitarian culture? What proximate psychological variables might explain sex differences in sexual regret? And what accounts for within-sex variation in experiences of sexual regret about casual sex. We conducted a study of 263 Norwegian students (ages 19-37) who reported how much they regretted having either engaged in, or passed up, their most recent casual sexual experience. Sex differences in sexual regret are not attenuated in this sexually egalitarian culture. The study revealed sex differences in worries about pregnancy, STIs, and reputation; however, these predictors did not succeed in accounting for the sex differences in regret engaging in casual sex. Sexual gratification and socio-sexual orientation both predicted the sex differences in casual sex regret. In contrast, only socio-sexual orientation attenuated the sex difference in regret passing up casual sex. Predictors of within-sex variation in casual sexual regret included worry about sexual reputation, experienced gratification during the encounter, and socio-sexual orientation. Discussion focuses on implications for the psychological design features of this relatively neglected emotion.

Development of the Consensual Non-Monogamy Attitude Scale (CNAS)

While consensual non-monogamy (CNM) is emerging as a research topic in the field of relationship science, scales intended to measure people’s attitudes toward such configurations are lacking. This study recruited 206 participants to establish the validity and reliability of the Consensual Non-Monogamy Attitude Scale, an instrument consisting of eight statements intended to determine how accepting people are of CNM relationships. Results demonstrated a single factor structure. Scale scores were positively related to sociosexual orientation and perceived satisfaction with non-monogamy and negatively associated with perceived satisfaction with monogamy. Results also revealed significant gender and sexual orientation differences.

The Effects of Sex and Gender-Role Characteristics on Facets of Sociosexuality in Heterosexual Young Adults

The present study was designed to systematically investigate the functional relationships among biological sex; masculine and feminine gender-role characteristics; and sociosexual behavior, attitude toward, and desire for uncommitted casual sex as three facets of sociosexual orientation. For this purpose, facets of sociosexuality were assessed by the Revised Sociosexual Orientation Inventory (SOI-R) and masculine and feminine gender-role characteristics were assessed by a revised German version of the Bem Sex-Role Inventory in 499 male and 958 female heterosexual young adults. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed differential mediating effects of masculine and feminine gender-role characteristics on the relationship between biological sex and the three facets of sociosexual orientation. Sociosexual behavior was shown to be primarily controlled by an individual’s level of masculine gender-role characteristics irrespective of biological sex. Sociosexual desire was identified as being a sole function of biological sex with no indication for any effect of masculine or feminine gender-role characteristics, while sociosexual attitude was influenced by biological sex as well as by masculine and feminine gender-role characteristics to about the same extent.

Sexual History and Present Attractiveness: People Want a Mate With a Bit of a Past, But Not Too Much

The aim of this study was to explore how people’s sexual history affects their attractiveness. Using an Internet survey, 188 participants rated their willingness to engage in a relationship with a hypothetical individual with a specified number of past sexual partners, ranging from 0 to 60+. The effect of past partner number was very large. Average willingness ratings initially rose as past partner number rose, but then fell dramatically. For short-term relationships, men were more willing than women to get involved (although the difference was not large). For long-term relationships, in contrast, there was virtually no sex difference. Thus, contrary to the idea that male promiscuity is tolerated but female promiscuity is not, both sexes expressed equal reluctance to get involved with someone with an overly extensive sexual history. Finally, participants with an unrestricted sociosexual orientation (high SO participants) were more tolerant than low SO participants of prospective mates with higher numbers of past sexual partners but were also less tolerant of prospective mates with low numbers of past sexual partners.